Second thoughts

For the first time ever, retail giant Walmart will offer more than 7,50,000 items of used clothing on its website via a partnership with thredUP, the world's largest online thrift store. The resale market is expected to hit $51 billion by 2023 according to research by threadUP and GlobalData Retail. Last week, a Chinese publication reported that millennials in the country were starting to embrace thrifting, owing to the economic downturn.

As mid-day reported last October, Instagram (IG) was a booming marketplace for Indians running online thrift stores and this boom is growing - even during the pandemic. "I started my venture in June last year when there were barely any Indian stores. Now there's a new one every second day. It's great because we're normalising second-hand clothing," says Mira Road resident Pearl D'souza who runs Aima Vintage. D'souza, 28, resumed contactless delivery last week as restrictions on non-essential deliveries were eased. "I still have pending orders. So many followers have reached out in support asking if they could purchase gift cards," she says.

Sulakshana Suryanarayanan and Mohana Kannan

The challenges during the pandemic are primarily logistical. Owners are reliant on vendors, who won't be opening shops immediately. Another issue is delivery since these IG stores have a customer base spread across metro cities and the North East. Bandra resident Eden Dias, 24, of Copper Boom Vintage and Thrift says she doesn't plan to ship until she is assured that the parcel is guaranteed to reach safely, and is dependent on the post office to open to maintain her cost margins. Meanwhile, the post office has opened in the scenic town of Ukhrul in Manipur, where Ngahon Tungshangnao, who helms Mirinwon, lives. "I anticipated the lockdown and stocked over 100 items between February and March. I haven't sold anything but posted sneak peeks, and many have been asking me to make them available," he says.

Even newer stores like Delhi-based Preeti Yadav's Panda Picked, and Chennai-based Thrift Banana by Sulakshana Suryanarayanan and Mohana Kannan, that was started three weeks ago, have witnessed good demand during the lockdown. "Our garments are cleaned, ironed and packaged plastic-free," Suryanarayan, 20, shares.

Janhavi Sawal, Preeti Yadav and Pearl D'souza

As for the change post-lockdown, Dias isn't sure if it will translate into sustainable decisions like thrifting. "People have praised the normal. They are dying to go back to work and eat at restaurants," she says, also stating that in India, IG thrift stores appeal to style, not money as price points are similar to fast fashion. Goa-based Janhavi Sawal of Thrifty Drips senses a steep fall in business for the next six months, despite the fact that IG stores like hers that offer luxury goods have huge price differentials (a brand new Yves Saint Laurent wallet will cost you at least Rs50,000 while Sawal offers a thrifted one for Rs5990). "Consumers will opt for essentials, not vanity," she maintains.

But D'souza believes fashion as an industry will undergo an overhaul, and Afifah Siddiqui who helms The Salvage Story out of Noida asserts that the talk on how the lockdown is a reminder to re-look at past actions is on the rise. And if there's one thing working in favour of IG's thrift shops, it's the fact that they organically took a digital route and don't have to adapt.

Afifah Siddiqui, Eden Dias and Ngahon Tungshangnao

Hot pick: Vintage '80s grey knife-pleated skirt
Size 32-inch fit on the waist
Cost Rs 1490 (including shipping)
Log on to @aimavintage on Instagram

Watch: Vintage white blouse expected to drop this week SIZE Small
Cost Rs 1300
Log on to @mirinwonofficial on Instagram

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Size Medium
Cost Rs 950
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Hot pick: Striped blue top with cut detailing from Bossini
Size Extra small but fits small
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Hot pick: Yves Saint Laurent envelope wallet
Cost Rs 5990
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